Loyola and Chicago

Loyola and its students enjoy Chicago's exceptional cultural and economic resources. In addition to providing an unparalleled setting for educational opportunities, Chicago is also one of the most prestigious cities in the world in terms of recreation and entertainment.

A hub of commerce and culture, Chicago serves as an expanded campus for Loyola students. Fast Company magazine named Chicago its 2008 U.S. City of the year for its thriving economy, impressive architecture, notable politicians, groundbreaking music, and innovative environmental policies.

Academic Opportunities

Loyola students take advantage of many academic opportunities in Chicago, including:

Three Chicago area campuses: Lake Shore, Water Tower, and Health Sciences

The title of "The Windy City" was bestowed on Chicago in 1893 by New York Sun editor Charles Dana. He was tired of listening to long-winded politicians boast about the World's Fair that was held in Chicago the same year.

Chicago currently has 2,701,926 residents in its 228 square miles.

More than 33 million people visit Chicago each year.

Only 58% of Chicago residents were born in Illinois. Twenty-two percent of Chicago residents were born in another country.

Famous buildings

Sears/Willis Tower, the tallest building in North America and the third tallest building in the world. Including its antennas, the total height of the Sears Tower is 1,725 feet.

Tribune Tower, home of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, has exterior walls that are embedded with authentic pieces of famous buildings including Westminster Abbey, the Alamo, the Great Pyramid, Taj Mahal, Fort Sumter, and Arc de Triomphe.

Old Water Tower building, constructed in 1869, was one of the only buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire.

Movies filmed in Chicago

Since 1980, more than 500 feature film and television productions have been shot in Chicago, including:

A League of Their Own

Bad Boys

Barbershop I, II

Batman Begins

Chicago: The Musical

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Home Alone I, II, III

Miracle on 34th Street

My Best Friend's Wedding

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Ocean's 11 and Ocean's 12

Sixteen Candles

Stir of Echoes

Stranger Than Fiction

Surviving Christmas

The Blues Brothers

The Break-Up

The Dark Knight

The Fugitive

The Weather Man

What Women Want

When Harry Met Sally

Songs

Chicago has served as the inspiration for many songs, including:

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (Jim Croce)

Chicago (Sufjan Stevens)

Dear Chicago (Ryan Adams)

In the Ghetto (Elvis Presley)

Lake Shore Drive (Aliotta, Haynes and Jeremiah)

Little Joe From Chicago (Nat King Cole)

My Kind of Town (Frank Sinatra)

Sweet Home Chicago (various artists)

Tonight, Tonight (The Smashing Pumpkins)

Homecoming (Kanye West)

Famous Chicagoans

Here is a list of notable people who were born or have lived in or near Chicago:

Gillian Anderson

John and Jim Belushi

Ray Bradbury

Gwendolyn Brooks

Wesley Clark

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Nat King Cole

Common

Billy Corgan

John and Joan Cusak

Walt Disney

Tina Fey

Harrison Ford

Bob Fosse

Benny Goodman

Edward Gorey

Buddy Guy

Dorothy Hamill

Ernest Hemingway

Jennifer Hudson

R. Kelly

John Malkovich

Bill Murray

Bob Newhart (a Loyola alum)

Barack and Michelle Obama

Bill Rancic (a Loyola alum)

Donald Rumsfeld

Pat Sajak

Shel Silverstein

Gary Sinise

Louis Sullivan

Vince Vaughn

Kanye West

Frank Lloyd Wright

Entertainment and Recreation

There is always something fun and exciting to do in Chicago! The Windy City has something to offer everyone.

Dining. There are thousands of restaurants located in Chicago. The city is famous for its deep dish pizza and fantastic hot dogs. (No visit to Chicago is complete without trips to Gino's East and Portillo's!)

Horticulture.Chicago Botanic Gardens is one of the country's most visited public gardens. The Chicago Park District maintains two world-class conservatories in Lincoln Park and Garfield Park.

Lake Michigan. This Great Lake boasts 25 miles of public beachfront for biking, rollerblading, swimming and boating.

Music. There are countless musical venues in Chicago, ranging from large pavilions such as the United Center to smaller locations like House of Blues and the Vic Theatre. Chicago is known for its world-class music festivals, including the Jazz Festival, Blues Festival, and Lollapalooza.

Navy Pier. A Chicago landmark since it first opened in 1916, Navy Pier now showcases restaurants, shops and entertainment including an IMAX theatre, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, a 150-foot-high Ferris wheel, a musical carousel, an 18-hole miniature golf course, and the Skyline Stage outdoor performance pavilion.

Parks. The Chicago Park District maintains 552 parks in the city. Grant Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago and is home to the famous Buckingham Fountain. Millennium Park opened in 2004 and is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture, and landscape design.

Shopping. Loyola's Water Tower Campus is located steps away from Chicago's Magnificent Mile, the world-famous shopping destination in the city. Another popular shopping area is located on State Street, which is home to several major department stores. Jeweler's Row, also known as the diamond district, is located on Wabash Avenue.

Sports. Chicago was recently named the "Best Sports City" by Sporting News. It is home to many
national sports teams, including: baseball: Cubs and White Sox; basketball: Bulls; football: Bears; and hockey: Blackhawks.

Internships and Careers

Chicago is home to one of the largest and most diversified economies in the world, providing students with countless internship and career options.

Thousands of internship opportunities in a wide range of industries, including media, commerce, medicine, banking, the arts, social services, sports, and more

Loyola's Career Development Center offers services like resume critiquing and career self-assessment workshops to help students determine and articulate their strengths, values, and interests as they relate to career areas and jobs. Numerous career opportunities in the city contribute to the decision of 90% of Loyola students to remain in Chicago after graduation.

Service-Learning

Education at Loyola extends beyond the classroom. Many students expand their experience by participating in service-learning projects, which combine academic instruction with community-based learning by connecting learning objectives to service objectives.

Hands-on service-learning opportunities that introduce students to the complexity of social issues by combining classroom studies with community work